


Black Market Sugar Daddy

by AncalagonDrakka



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Hijinks & Shenanigans, I Don't Even Know, Kaiju Remedies, M/M, Sugar Daddy, Weird Fluff, Why Did I Write This?, can't believe that's an actual tag, maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-08
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-23 16:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15610680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncalagonDrakka/pseuds/AncalagonDrakka
Summary: The world just wants to forget the Kaiju ever happened, and that means forgetting the Jaegers and Shatterdomes and everyone who worked there. When Hermann and Newt struggle to find a stable job and a place to live, Hannibal Chau steps in and makes them an offer they can't refuse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So Uprising can fuck right off. I have no idea where this is going and how these relationships are going to work, but who cares. It will be fun.

“Herms, hey c’mon! Where are you going?” Newt shouted after his lab partner, jogging down the hallway to catch up with him. Hermann stopped abruptly and whipped around so fast Newt nearly ran into him. “Away from here and away from you!” He jabbed his cane into Newt’s chest, but Hermann lost some of the tension in his shoulders when he caught the hurt in Newt’s eyes. Hermann sighed and deflated. “I just… I need to go out for a while. I don’t want to fight right now. Not about this anyway.”

Newt laughed a little, but Hermann could feel that their conversation—read: argument—wasn’t over. They were going to have to get through talking about job opportunities and their lack of sometime before they got booted out of the Shatterdome. 

But right now, they both needed some time to cool off before they attempted that conversation again, and Hermann wanted to be outside. 

Newt reached out and brushed his fingers over the back of Hermann’s hand. “Okay, man, but be careful. Just ‘cause there aren’t any more kaiju out doesn’t mean Hong Kong is totally safe.” Hermann rolled his eyes, but he would concede that point. “Oh, oh! And bring me back something from that street vendor by the harbor!” Newt bounced back to his normal obnoxious self, swaying from heel to toe. 

“Newton, no. I’m not going to be the reason you get food poisoning. Again.” With that, Hermann turned back to walk down the hall, Newt’s grumbling fading behind him.

Outside the Shatterdome wasn’t exactly pretty, what with the inclement weather and the rubble from a kaiju landing or two, but any change of scenery at this point was a good thing. Hermann took a breath and made his way to the ferry to get to the city center. 

By the time he made it to the city docks, he was already stiff from the cold and he was sure his hips would absolutely hate him later. But he was already here, and he did want to walk around for a bit, and who knew, maybe he would bring something back for Newton. There was a little fizz of excitement in the back of his mind that wasn’t his own, and Hermann huffed. 

Even on the other side of the city Newt was still there, a presence in his head. Not bad, but not always good, either. Hermann shook his head and moved on. It wasn’t good to stand there dazed in the middle of a city street. 

Hermann wandered the streets, occasionally pausing at stalls here and there to look at wares. Nothing particularly caught his interest, but it was something to keep him distracted. He was just beginning to think he should turn around to head home when someone collided into him at a run. Hermann felt a bit like a domino when he ended up falling onto someone else. He startled a bit when a pair of large hands grabbed his arms to right him.

“Ah, I’m terribly sorry, I—” Hermann froze when he looked up to see who he’d bumped into. A feed of memory and an echo of terror flashed through his mind. A man, dressed in a gaudy red suit pulling a knife on him (on Newton), the man flinging that same knife at Otachi’s baby, watching in horror as the baby swallowed the man whole, save for one gold plated wingtip shoe. 

Newton had that shoe. Hermann saw him come back with it after the raging ‘not apocalypse’ party in the ‘dome. 

Back in the Shatterdome, Newt trailed off from the conversation he was having with Tendo. Flashes of Hannibal Chau came to mind, framed by the ruined Hong Kong cityscape. Then a strong impression of the man’s shoe came to mind. And shit. That was coming over from Hermann side. 

“Shit.” Newt stood up so fast he knocked his chair over. He vaguely heard Tendo trying to talk to him, but it was lost on Newt. He had to get to Hermann. Somehow. He had to find a way to find Hermann and make sure he was okay. 

Hermann came back to himself at the sound of fingers snapping right next to his face. He blinked. The man was there still, lowering his hand when Hermann’s gaze came back into focus. “You… You’re alive. How are you alive?” How the hell could anyone survive being eaten by a kaiju?

The man—Hannibal Chau, he picked up from Newton’s memory—frowned and leaned forward into Hermann’s space. “Excuse me? We got a problem here, son?” Hermann tried to back away, only to be held in place by the iron grip still on one of his arms. “You—the kaiju—you died—you were eaten!” He stuttered out, gaze flicking from Hannibal’s glasses, to the lines on his forehead, to his frowning mouth, and back to his glasses.

The lines on Hannibal’s forehead deepened and he put his fingers on Hermann’s face to keep his eye pried open. After a moment, he seemed to find whatever he was looking for and straightened up. “God damn. Are you shitting me?” Hermann watched the man, confused. “You drifted with a kaiju. You people are just popping out of the woodwork.” And that set Hermann off. He didn’t really care who this man was, but Hermann was not going to stand there and let himself be insulted.

“You people? Excuse me, but I risked my life doing that to gain important information, which is far more than I can say for someone like you. You… you thug.” Hermann put on his best glare and tried to yank his arm away. He was very tempted to hit Hannibal with his cane when the man still didn’t let go of him. 

Of all the things Hermann thought Chau would do, laughing was not one of them. It drew the attention of some of the people around them he laughed so loud. “Jesus, you got some big balls for such a skinny little thing.” He finally let go of Hermann’s arm. Hermann held his arm close to himself and made a face. He wasn’t that skinny. “You’re almost like that short stack kid that came in the other day.” Hannibal continued, amusement keeping the corners of his mouth turned up.

“Newton.” Hermann said, half to himself. If there was as much transference as Hermann suspected, Newton would be losing his mind right about now. He would probably throw a huge fit once Hermann got home.

Hannibal didn’t look terribly surprised when he spoke again. “So you two maniacs know each other, huh. Makes a certain amount of sense. He make it through the end of the world, then?” Hermann nodded and made the absentminded comment of “He still has your shoe, I believe.”

That seemed to peak Chau’s interest and he looked like he was considering something. “Alright, kiddo, here’s the deal. I’ll be a gentleman and, uh, escort you back home and you make sure I get my shoe back.” It seemed like an odd deal to Hermann and it probably showed on his face, because Hannibal followed his offer up with “It’s my favorite pair of shoes.” It couldn’t hurt to at least humor the exchange. Besides, Hermann was fairly certain he didn’t have a choice in the matter. 

“I suppose that’s acceptable.” He flinched under the weight of Chau’s arm when it dropped around his shoulders. “Great,” Hannibal grinned and steered him down the street in the direction of the ferry. The man looked over his shoulder and nodded, and Hermann felt like he’d spent most of their exchange in a state of confusion.  
The shoe, Hermann thought. Find the shoe. He willed the image of the gold wingtip from his mind to Newton’s, hoping the mental transfer worked when he was thinking about it and not just randomly. 

They got all the way to the ferry docks before either of them said another word. The people around them at the docks were giving them a wide berth and eyeing Hannibal with a mix of caution and curiosity. “So,” Hannibal began, bringing Hermann out of his thoughts. “What were you doing out in town all by your lonesome? Don’t you know it’s dangerous out here for kids like you?” 

“First of all, I am not a ‘kid’ I am thirty-six years old.” Hermann hated that Hannibal just laughed and raised his voice to speak over him. “And second, not that it’s any of your business, I was just out for a walk.”

“Kid, you gotta know there are safer places to go for a stroll.”

Hermann was saved from answering immediately when the ferryman called for boarding. Of course, once they were on board, Hannibal refused to allow for personal space. The second they were sitting on one of the benches, Hermann was pulled close until he felt like he would be sitting in the other man’s lap if he got any closer. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at the very least Hannibal put off enough heat that Hermann didn’t feel like he would be stiff from the cold when they got to the ‘dome.

“How exactly did you survive, anyway?” Hermann asked a few minutes after the ferry pushed off from the docks. “With the kaiju you mean?” There was a flash of silver and before he could blink there was a knife in his face, and the memory of Newt being held at knifepoint resurfaced. “Cut my way out through the belly.” 

Hannibal held the knife up long enough for Hermann to see some of the details in the blade before it was twirled shut again. “Now then, you were going to tell me why you where out by yourself in the city before we got interrupted.”

He shifted as much as he could, measuring his words carefully before he spoke. “I was clearing my head after an argument.” Best to stick with the simple truth and hope Hannibal didn’t ask too many more questions. It was probably too much to hope for, considering the way his head was turned down, like he was waiting for more details. 

Eventually, Hannibal prompted him, “An argument? What about, kid? You seem the type to argue about just about anything. Just a hunch.” Hermann glared, crossing his arms tightly. This man seemed to enjoy insulting him.

“It was about jobs. None of us have been getting any job offers, and we only have so much time left to find one before we have to leave the Shatterdome.” He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. It wasn’t like the people who ran the ‘dome were to blame. It was being decommissioned by the local government and everyone was left scrambling to get a stable job and a place to live. 

After a noncommittal sound, Hannibal let the conversation drop. The rest of the ride was spent in mostly silence.

Even after the boat docked, the arm around his shoulders stayed put. This was going to be interesting to explain when he got back to the Shatterdome. No doubt Newton had thrown a fit and gotten the attention of anyone who would listen. He could feel the panic growing the closer they got to the entrance of the ‘dome. He wasn’t actually sure if it was his or Newt’s.

Even before he slid his ID badge over the door’s security scanner, he could feel Newt’s awareness of him. It wasn’t long after they walked through the door that he heard sneakers squeaking against the finished concrete floors. “Oh no.” Hermann tensed and prepared for the mess that was about to happen.

“Oh no?” Hannibal repeated. Before anyone could say anything else, a screaming Newton Geiszler came tearing through the hall, fast enough that he skidded past with a frantic “Fuck!” instead of making the corner to the entrance hallway where Hannibal and Hermann stood. Newt could be heard scrambling to his feet before he appeared at the end of the hall again, Hannibal’s shoe clutched in one hand. 

Tendo came jogging around the corner by the time Newt made it to Hermann. Newton was practically incoherent he was talking so fast, and it took a few minutes and Hermann’s hand on his shoulder before he calmed down and even noticed Hannibal. “Holy shit you’re actually alive,” was the first sentence anyone could clearly make out. 

Hannibal just sighed and snatched his shoe from Newt’s hand. “Yeah, I am. I’m damn surprised you are, though, after an entrance like that.” Tendo failed miserably to cover his snort. 

Hermann shrugged Hannibal’s arm off of him and slid over to stand next to Newt, brushing their fingers together. Newt finally started to look calmer when he glanced over at Hermann. “Well,” Hannibal said, bringing the attention back to him. “Not that this hasn’t been fun, but I’m gonna bounce. But first,” here, he took a step closer to Newt and Hermann, whipping out a pair of business cards. He tucked one into the breast pocket on Newt’s button down and the other into the collar of Hermann’s sweater.

“You kids want to make some good money, you just give me a call.” Hannibal flashed them a grin, showing off gold teeth. Newt, Hermann, and Tendo stared after him as he walked out the door, casual as you please. 

Finally, Tendo piped up. “Did he just offer to be your sugar daddy?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, look at that! Chapter two the day after chapter 1! That's kind of rare for me. Please enjoy!

They were both sprawled over the lab couch, staring at the screens of their phone and laptop respectively, waiting for their emails to ping with offers that weren’t coming. After nearly an hour sitting together in silence, Newt finally sighed and tossed his phone onto the armrest. “It’s not happening, man. We’re not gonna get anything.” They were getting down to the wire and they still had no job and no place to live. 

Hermann’s growing sense of despair was mirrored by Newt’s. It had been almost a week since the incident with Hannibal Chau, and Hermann refused to call right away like Newt suggested. Hermann had to remind him rather insistently that Hannibal Chau held a knife on both of them, and that he was a black-market dealer. Illegal and dangerous, and not someone to get involved with if there were other options available to them. By now there didn’t seem to be any other options.

They had two weeks left until they had to leave, and they were some of the last people still here outside of the skeleton crew. Everything was packed away and ready to go. “If we still don’t have any job offers by the end of the day today, then we’ll call.” Hermann finally said. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but they needed a way to support themselves and stay together. “Sounds like a plan. You wanna watch a movie or two to kill time?” Newt asked hopefully, nudging at Hermann’s arm. “Fine. But no Godzilla movies.” Hermann stood slowly, adjusting his grip on his cane. Newt bounced up after him. “Dude come on! Godzilla’s a classic!” “No, Newton.”

The two of them bickered back and forth about movie choices all the way to Hermann’s room. The few people they came across stepped aside to stay out of their way, staring after them. It could be it was because the two scientists were still arguing after all this time. It could also be because half the argument wasn’t verbal, as if Hermann and Newt simply forgot most people used words in a conversation instead of just expressions and wild hand gestures.

Whatever the case, people left them alone. 

They ended up marathoning a mix of monster movies and documentaries about space and the ocean. For a while they both forgot about emails and calling Chau for work and just curled up together on the bed. 

Hermann nearly had a heart attack when he happened to glance at the clock. It was nearly four in the morning. “Newton.” Hermann slapped an arm across Newt’s chest to get his attention away from the credits rolling on the screen. He blinked at Hermann for a minute before he got what the problem was. “Oh, shit. Hand me my phone. I dropped it on your side of the bed.” 

After a brief scramble to find Newt’s phone and one of the cards Hannibal gave them, they paused. “We’re really gonna do this, huh?” Newt said, not necessarily to break the silence, but more to reassure himself and Hermann that this was real. “Yes, it would seem so. Do you think he’ll be up, though? It is rather late.”

Newt just shrugged. Someone like Hannibal would probably keep odd hours. The thought sat between them, heavy with promise and apprehension. Then Hermann looked down at the card in his hand. 

It was red with the remedy shop mark right in the middle of the card. Newt was pretty sure it was also served as a gang symbol, too. Right under the mark was a set of numbers pressed into the card. Hermann stared at them intently while Newt dialed and set the phone to speaker. “Here we go,” He said to Hermann while the phone rang.

The phone rang once, twice, three times before someone picked up. There was only silence, and Newt and Hermann stared at the phone like something was going to pop out at them. “Well,” Hermann murmured, “say something.” “Why me? You say something first.” They quickly devolved into hissing, “you first!” “No, you!” at each other, pushing and prodding at each other. 

“Hey!” The tinny voice of Hannibal Chau came over the phone, startling Newt and Hermann into stillness. “You have any goddamn idea what time it is?”

“Uh, kinda late? Or, early I guess?” Newt offered, lowering his hands from Hermann’s face. There was muttering on the other end before Hannibal spoke clearly again. “You better have a damn good reason for calling this time of night.” There was a threat in his voice, like he’d do something horrible if he didn’t like what he heard.  
Newt and Hermann looked at each other. “Uh, you said to call if we wanted jobs? So, we’re calling. We want jobs.” 

There was a heavy sigh that sounded crackly through the speaker. “This couldn’t have waited a few more hours? You know what, don’t answer that. Get your shit packed and be at the ferry at nine sharp. I’ll send someone to pick you up.” And then Hannibal hung up. The disconnect tone buzzed in the room before Newt reached out and exited out of the phone app. “Fun guy.” He said, putting his phone up. 

All they had to do was move the two boxes they had to a more visible area and put the last of their things into backpacks. It was kind of sad how little they had, but creature comforts and an abundance of personal things had been a luxury the last ten years. “Last night in the ‘dome, I guess. It’s been real.” 

It didn’t take them long after that to fall into bed. Even with the added anxiety of leaving in a few short hours, they were both tired. 

Both of them jolted out of sleep, woken from a shared dream that neither of them could quite remember. It was almost eight. They both scrambled out of bed and rushed to get ready. Even with so few things, carrying would add to the time it took to walk the ferry.

Hermann shouldered the backpacks and Newt hefted up their two boxes. They left Hermann’s room and made their way through the ‘dome. Nobody else was up yet it seemed, because they didn’t run into anyone in the hall.

They barely made it to the ferry on time, where a woman with a shaved head and a few tattoos on her arms was waiting. She jerked her chin in their direction and a pair of men wearing sunglasses took the boxes and bags. “Oh hey, you’re one of the people that pulled a gun on me.” Newt sounded too chipper about that in Hermann’s opinion. The woman just rolled her eyes and ushered them onto the ferry. 

The following trip through the city confused the hell out of Hermann. Their guide seemed to know exactly where she was going, even though it felt like their path had no rhyme or reason. Newton seemed to be faring a little better than him, but not by much. One trip to Kaiju Remedies in the dark wasn’t enough to memorize the way. It looked so small on the outside, but the snippets of Newt’s memory told him that the inside was huge beyond the cramped front counter. 

Hannibal Chau was waiting for them when they got past the preserved organs curtain. Chau paused to give the woman and the two men in sunglasses orders, and they walk off with Hermann and Newt’s belongings.

“Glad to see you two made it in one piece. Welcome to Kaiju Remedies, kiddos.” Hannibal spread his arms before walking forward to pull Newt and Hermann against his sides. “Now, here’s how this will work. Today, you two get a grand tour of the place and a week to get settled to make sure you know your way around and meet a few of the nice people here.” He started walking, pulling the two scientists along with him. “Then, at the end of that week, you’ll start work.”

The place was practically a labyrinth and Newt could feel the nerves coming off Hermann. They were going to need that week to learn their way around. Hannibal took them to all the places deemed important; the main work rooms, the kitchens, the sitting rooms. There were also areas Hannibal warned them away from, like the meeting room and what he called the private rooms down in the basement. “This is where some big shit happens, and you don’t need to be around that.” Was all Hannibal would say on that matter.

The whole place pretty much screamed ‘dangerous and illegal.’

And then Hannibal took them to the labs. Newt promptly lost his shit. The labs were huge, at least three times the size of the one in the Shatterdome and stocked with all kinds of materials and equipment. A few lab techs looked up from what they were doing when Newt charged in. He had to touch everything, had to see how it all worked and what it could do. It was absolutely beautiful.

Hermann watched Newt but stayed firmly planted at the doorway. “What’s the matter, kid? I thought you’d like this kind of thing.” He pushed Hermann forward a step into the room. “I do like it. It’s just…” Hermann quailed a little, taking in the size of the room and everything in it. If they had access to this kind of quality of workspace and machinery, even more lab techs…

“Go on then. You have access to whatever you want in here. No restrictions.” Hermann was pushed forward again, and he finally stepped further into the room on his own. There were brand new arrays and scanners, enough computers to make him want to cry. Hermann knew he would be spending a lot of time down here, and he was sure Newton shared that sentiment.

Hannibal let them play around with the machinery for a good half an hour before he called them back to take them to their rooms. The rooms were nothing like the military issue bunks at the Shatterdome. They were huge and fully furnished. Newt immediately grabbed Hermann’s hand and dragged him over to the bed and flopped down. 

It was the softest bed Hermann could remember ever lying on. Newt was giddy and rolling back and forth over the comforter, and his good mood here was infectious. Hermann found himself smiling as he stretched out on the bed. 

“Alright, alright, reel it in. Jeez, you’d think you two have never seen a bed before.” Hannibal walked into the room and waited until he had their attention again. “One last thing before I leave you to unpack whatever you brought. You two are with me now, and I’m not gonna let you run around looking like that.” He waved a hand between Newt and Hermann and they looked down at themselves. 

Newt frowned and looked back up to Hannibal. “But you just gestured to all of us.” Newt didn’t think they looked that bad, considering they’d been wearing the same few sets of clothes for a few years. Well, he didn’t think he looked bad. Hermann though? Newt yelped when the end of Hermann’s cane came down on his foot.

“Exactly.” Hannibal said. “We’ll have you all fixed up by the end of the week.” He stood in the doorway for a little while longer and let his words sink in. He made sure Newt and Hermann would be fine by themselves before stepping out and closing the door behind him. 

Newt grinned at Hermann and squeezed his hand. “I think we’re okay, Herms. This could be good.” While Hermann still wasn’t entirely sure this was a good thing yet, it would at least keep them clothed and well fed. If they kept Hannibal Chau happy, Hermann figured everyone else here would be happy, too. “Yes. It could be.” 

Hermann squeezed Newt’s hand back. It couldn’t hurt to just stay here for a little while longer. They could unpack later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the shenanigans begin. Newt and Hermann with unlimited lab access and more money than they know what to do with? You better believe something is going to happen. I'm not sure if I should make this canon post PR 1 or have an everybody lives nobody dies thing. It will be important later. Thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Please remember to hit the kudos button and leave reviews!


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